Greg Jenner

So he's a beer magnate. He's like... He's like, Mr. Heineken, he's in charge of all of the beer of the city.

Yes, because beer is a currency, almost.

Yes, because beer is a currency, almost.

With a straw, yeah.

With a straw, yeah.

So Kashim might be one of the first named people in history.

So Kashim might be one of the first named people in history.

And he's a beer brewer.

And he's a beer brewer.

That's great. So cool. Okay. So there we go. So beer is the history. The history of the world is beer, basically. Beer and writing. Slightly drunk texting. So we have hundreds of thousands. I was a medieval historian by training, and I used to complain that we had too many documents. But you have hundreds of thousands of Kinoform tablets. So you haven't read them all.

That's great. So cool. Okay. So there we go. So beer is the history. The history of the world is beer, basically. Beer and writing. Slightly drunk texting. So we have hundreds of thousands. I was a medieval historian by training, and I used to complain that we had too many documents. But you have hundreds of thousands of Kinoform tablets. So you haven't read them all.

That's extraordinary because that gives us such a window into daily life.

That's extraordinary because that gives us such a window into daily life.

Which is arguably the first great story. It's the earliest great literature in human history that's recorded. And we have it because of cuneiform.

Which is arguably the first great story. It's the earliest great literature in human history that's recorded. And we have it because of cuneiform.

And do we have it in complete form, the Gilgamesh?

And do we have it in complete form, the Gilgamesh?

Something we do have, which is really charming, I think, and quite interesting, we have a series of letters between a wife and a merchant husband who are in different cities and they're writing to each other. What do you imagine they're writing to each other, Phil?

Something we do have, which is really charming, I think, and quite interesting, we have a series of letters between a wife and a merchant husband who are in different cities and they're writing to each other. What do you imagine they're writing to each other, Phil?

So who are our protagonists? Is it Anaya?